Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat

Cover Me Boys, I'm Going In by Keith Hirshland
Published: August 8, 2013 by Createspace
I'm not a big golf fan, but I am a big tv fan which is the main reason I wanted to read this one. Cover Me Boys is the memoir of the original producers of the Golf Channel, so while I knew there would be a lot of golf, I was hoping there would be enough tv production for me to stay interested. Thankfully, for the most part I was right.

Hirshland does have a big background in TV production coming from a family where his father owned a tv station. We're able to travel alongside Hisrland from his family's small time station in Reno, to working at ESPN 2, to finally the Golf Channel. I loved all the behind the scenes details, especially in the first half of the book. But even so, once it got more into golf closer to the end, found the pieces of how new technology came about fascinating. Although funny enough one of my favorite parts didn't have to really do with Hirshland producing tv, but instead he time as a tv show contestant on Classic Concentration.

As you get further and further into the book it feels a bit like a Who's Who in the world of golf and sports. There are some fun bits of the early lives of tv personalities, like Matt Lauer, that I really appreciated. But a lot of the names were those I didn't recognize, or at least couldn't place immediately. I did ask the boy if he knew a few, and most times his response was yes, and that I would probably recognize them as well. After a funny bit with Keith Olbermann, I asked the boy about him, not having any idea who he was. But the following night the boy pointed him out to me on tv, and yes, while I may not have been able to place him, I have watched him a number of times.

It's funny in a way, because while there is a ton of information in here, probably more than needed to be at times, at the end I wanted to keep reading. In some ways it feels a bit unfinished, but unfortunately that's how life works sometimes. Our story never really ends, it's more a new chapter is always starting. With that note if Hirshland ever does to write a follow up memoir I'd be curious enough to read it as well.

3.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Virtual Author Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.

Out Like a Lamb?

While it isn't hasn't been warm enough for me to lay out in the backyard (travesty of travesties!), spring is slowly starting to show up in our backyard!
While it may be hard to tell with all the dead-ness in the photo above, I promise you the small signs are there.
Our fig tree is starting to bud. Of course you can also see our dead and frozen aloe in the background that I'm hoping finds a way to make a miraculous comeback.
Our peach tree is starting to flower.
There's yellow flowers all over our trellis.
And while I have no idea what these flowers may be, I just had to include them because they're so pink and pretty.

Have the signs of spring started to appear where you are? And has anyone actually made it to the point where it's warm enough to lay outside?

Calling All Marshmallows

Veronica Mars
I wouldn't necessarily call myself a huge Veronica Mars fan, but I still watched a few episodes back in college when it was still on tv. I liked it enough to know I wanted to see the movie, but not necessarily enough to remember exactly who everyone was.

I will say the movie did do a pretty good job at making you feel caught up even if you hadn't seen a single episode. But there were a ton of inside jokes for super fans, and while I'm sure I missed a lot, I did appreciate the ones I noticed. I did love Veronica's sarcasm throughout, and actually it was probably my favorite aspect of the movie. (Although I did love Dax Shepard's cameo too.)

But I can admit, at times it was a little cheesy. And the boy, who I don't believe has seen a single episode, pretty much hated it. I do think if you were a huge fan of the tv show you'll want to see it in the theaters, but otherwise it's probably one you could wait a bit for.

Mailbox Monday (69)

Another week as has come to an end, which does mean it's time for my weekly Mailbox Monday with the book that have recently entered my home!
From Goodreads
Poison Spring by E.G. Vallianatos with McKay Jenkins
This is an expose about how we are exposed to a mix of chemicals daily. It reminds me a bit of Erin Brockovich, but besides that I don't really know what to expect with it.

Enduring Courage by John F. Ross
This is a biography of a WWI pilot, Eddie Rickenbacker. I've never heard of him before receiving this book, so I definitely have a lot to learn.

From Paperback Swap
Matched by Ally Condie
I feel like I'm one of the last people I know to read this one. But at least now I can read them all at my speed instead of waiting for them to be published. This is one is YA dystopian about a society where the government matches you with your future spouse.

Have you read any of these? And what did you find in your mailbox this week?

Also, you still have a few hours left to enter my giveaway for The Highlander's Reward by Eliza Knight!

To Be Continued...

Every since I can remember I've always loved reading series. There's just something about reading a book and knowing there's more and more to continue with. Back in elementary school it was The American Girl Books then The Baby-Sitter Club books. Middle school was when I fell in love with the Betsy-Tacy series. In high school I used to love the Fearless series. And while I may not have done a ton of reading in college, I was in my college bookstore at midnight for the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

As I've gotten more into book blogging, I seem to read less and less series. Or more correctly, finish less and less. I still love reading them, I just don't have the time to finish them all. So I thought it would be fun to list out all the series I'm currently in the middle of, in hopes that it will inspire me to finish more of them.

I've decided to define a series as more than 2 books, so while there may be a book or two where I haven't read its sequel, it won't be listed here. I've also only listed series where the books I haven't read are currently published, which means The Mortal Instruments and Mara Dyer won't be here since I'm all caught up with what's available. This does get a little tricky at times since there are series that are expect to be more than 2, except only 2 are currently published, but based on my official rules, those aren't listed (which excludes Splintered and The Boleyn Trilogy).

I'm only listed books I've read in the past 7 years, since I can track that with goodreads. That does means The Giver Quartet won't be here (I read the first 2 in college, but not the most recent two) nor will The Wizard of Oz (I read the first 5 or 6 in college, but still have about 10 or so I haven't read). And finally, I won't be listing series where I have no intention of reading the rest (mainly having to do with romance series, but if it's a book I hated, I likely won't be continuing). So with that introduction, here are the series I'm currently in the middle of...

Causal Enchantment by K.A. Tucker
Read: Anathema, January 2012
To Read: Asylum, Allegiance, Anomaly

The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano
Read: Wither, March 2012, Fever, March 2012
To Read: Sever

Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah Stewart
Read: Coming Home, August 2013, The Long Way Home, February 2013, At The River's Edge, January 2014
To Read: Home Again, Almost Home, Hometown Girl, Home for the Summer

Cleopatra's Daughter by Stephanie Dray
Read: Lily of the Nile, July 2011, Song of the Nile, February 2012
To Read: Daughters of the Nile

The Cousin's War by Philippa Gregory
Read: The White Queen, October 2009, The Red Queen, October 2011
To Read: The Lady of the Rivers, The Kingmaker's Daughter, The White Princess

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Read: Delirium, October 2011, Pandemonium, March 2013, Requiem, March 2013
To Read: Delirium Stories

The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Read: The Fallen and Leviathan, July 2011, Aerie and Reckoning, July 2011
To Read: End of Days, Forsaken, Armageddon

Guardian Trilogy by Laury Falter
Read: Fallen, January 2013
To Read: Eternity, Reckoning

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Read: Hex Hall, May 2011
To Read: Demonglass, Spell Bound

Jen Lancaster Memoirs
Read: Bitter is the New Black, June 2009, Bright Lights, Big Ass, July 2009, Such a Pretty Fat, May 2010, Pretty in Plaid, September 2011
To Read: My Fair Lazy, Jeneration X, The Tao of Martha

Jessica Wild by Gemma Townley
Read: The Importance of Being Married, July 2008
To Read: A Wild Affair, An Ideal Wife

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Read: L.A. Candy, April 2010, Sweet Little Lies, November 2012
To Read: Sugar and Spice

Languedoc by Kate Mosse
Read: Labyrinth, April 2009, Sepulchre, June 2009
To Read: Citadel

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Read: The Lightning Thief, March 2010
To Read: The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian

Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Read: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, December 2011, The Masque of the Black Tulip, March 2012
To Read: The Deception of the Emerald Ring, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Orchid Affair, The Garden Intrigue, The Passion of the Purple Plumeria

Sea Breeze by Abbi Glines
Read: Breathe, December 2011
To Read: Because of Low, While It Lasts, Just for Now, Sometimes It Lasts, Misbehaving

Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris
Read: Dead Until Dark, August 2009, Living Dead in Dallas, February 2010, Club Dead, February 2010, Dead to the World, March 2010, Dead as a Doornail, April 2010, All Together Dead, July 2010, From Dead to Worse, September 2010, Dead and Gone, October 2010, Dead in the Family, June 2013
To Read: Dead Reckoning, Deadlocked, Dead Ever After

Stolen Bride by Eliza Knight
Read: The Highlander's Reward, March 2014
To Read: The Highlander's Conquest, The Highlander's Lady, The Highlander's Warrior Bride, The Highlander's Triumph, The Highlander's Sin

Summer by Katherine Applegate
Read: Beach Blondes, July 2013
To Read: Spring Break, Tan Lines

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Read: Unearthly, March 2012
To Read: Hallowed, Boundless

The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater
Read: Shiver, December 2013
To Read: Linger, Forever

Any recommendations on which series I should work towards finishing first? And how do you track the series you're reading? I have actually heard good things about FictFact, but I've yet to actually try it out. Although I'm not sure I need another website to keep track off!

Three Hundred & One

300: Rise of an Empire
Back when 300 opened, 7 years ago, I loved it because it was so unique. 3D was still relatively new at that time, and seeing movies in it was an event. Except now 7 years later it's not quite the same.

I'm a bit over 3D, at least unless it's a movie that's epic, and for us this wasn't one. And while the original was unlike anything else, being a sequel this clearly wasn't. Although sequel isn't quite the right word, since the events take place at the same time as the first.

But all in all, it is still a fun movie. If you liked 300, you'll probably enjoy this as well. It may not be as good as the first, but I still think it's worth seeing.

The Stolen Bride {Giveaway}

The Highlander's Reward by Eliza Knight
Published: July 19, 2012 by Eliza Knight
Series: Stolen Bride #1
Everyone once in a while you can't help but crave junk food. You know exactly what to expect with it, and while it may not be worthy of any awards, it's perfect because it meets your needs. The Highlander's Reward is exactly that type of book.

Lady Arebella is traveling to Scotland to marry the English lord decided on by the King of England. Laird Magnus is fighting the English alongside William Wallace. As unlikely a pair as they may be, this is a historical romance and part of a the Stolen Bride Series, so you know exactly how things will go.

They may have been aspects I wasn't a huge fan of, from the way to the Scottish brogue was written to what felt like historical inaccuracies (I can't imagine there were many vegetarians in the 1200s), and I may have wished to be a little more transported to the Scottish highlands, but it's hard to complain knowing what you were getting it.

And actually, I really enjoyed myself with this book. I read it in only a day or two since it was a book I didn't want to stop reading. There are a few steamy scenes which I think is a lot of the fun reading a book like this. While again it may not be the truest representation of history, I still loved this historical backdrop. There are currently seven books in the series, and after reading this one I'd love to get my hands on each one!

4.5/5

If you'd also like to get your hands on this series, I'm giving you all a chance to "steal" a copy! Winners have the choice of a print copy (US Only) or an eBook (International). To enter please use the rafflecopter form below.
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Disclosure: I was provided this book through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.